Stemming plant for leaf tobacco



June 3, 1958 Y H. Koci-l 2,837,097

STEMMING PLANT FOR LEAF TOBACCO Filed June "I, 1956 In venzfor;

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'tion of the tobacco.

United States Patent STEMMING PLANT FOR LEAF TOBACCO Hans Koch, Hamhurg-Rahlstedt, Germany, assignor to Kurt Korber & Co. K. G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Application June 7, 1956, Serial No. 589,986 Claims priority, applicationjGermany August 17, 1955 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-146) that it is no longer necessary to provide each individual stemming machine with its own discharge device, blower and dust filter so that there is saved a considerable amount of space and at the same time a substantial simplification and reduction in equipment and labor cost is eflected.

With the aboveand other objects in view the invention will now be described by way of example in connection with a specific embodiment which is disclosed in the accompanying drawings which illustrate in:

Figure l is a top plan view of a stemming plant provided, by way of example, with three stemming machines arranged one parallel to the other; and

Figure 2 illustrates diagrammatically a side elevation view of the center stemming machine, including parts of the pneumatic conveying conduit and the-discharge device for the stemming tobacco leaves.

Referring to the drawing, the stemming plant of the invention, as shown, is provided with three stemming machines: 1, 2 and 3, each having associated therewith at the tobacco supply points an endless conveyor 1a, 2a and 3a, respectively. According to Figure 1 the three mentioned stemming machines 1, 2 and 3 are arranged in spaced parallel relation.

Figure 2 illustrates in a side elevation view particularly the center tobacco supply point with the endless conveyor 2' which moves in the direction of the arrow 12 and feeds the tobacco leaves in customary manner into a rotary stemming device 2b. The latter mixture of stemmed tobacco and stalks is conducted by a sorting conveyor 20 into the separating vertical stack 2d in which the stalks are separated from the leafy portions of the tobacco. Each of the vertical separating stacks 1d, 2d and 3d (Figure 1) is provided with wavy sheet metal plates which facilitate the separation of the stalks from the leafy por- According to Figure 2 the wavy sheet metal plates in the stack 2d are designated with 9a and 9b. In place of the sheet metal plates 9a and 9b may also be used oscillating walls, the upper ends of each stack are each provided with an adjustable air passage gate 10, so that the speed of the air within the stack can be regulated. Furthermore, pipe lines 4a, 4b and 4c are employed for connecting the upper portions of the separating stacks 1d, 2d and 3d with a pneumatic conveyor which according to the present invention conveys the stemmed tobacco leaves to a discharge device 5 which is common to all of the stemming machines 1, 2 and 3. Furthermore, there-is employed only a single dust discharge conduit 6 to which is connected a blower 7 and the latter is connected to a single dust filter 8. The

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stalks are discharged from the lower ends of the vertical stacks as shown at 9c.

The stemming machines 1, 2 and 3 are shown as arranged in parallel spaced relation, one next to the other, but it is also possible to arrange the stemming machines onebehind the other. Furthermore, it is also possible toarrange the stemming machines in groups, one next to the other and also in groups, one behind the other. Of course, in such a case the entire stemming plant would consist of a greater number of stemming machines as shown in the present drawing, but still all of the discharge pipes would be connected in accordance with the inven-.

tion with a single discharge device.

In view of the above novel arrangement of the stemming plant it is no longer necessary to provide each individual stemming machine with its own individual discharge and dust removing apparatus and with the auxiliary equipment belonging thereto, the more so since a common discharge device takes care of all of the individual stemming machines so that compared with the prior known arrangements a considerable saving in space is obtained. The construction and arrangement of the stemming plant ac cording to the present invention has the additional advantage that the discharge device 5, through which only the leafy tobacco portions pass, may be arranged without difiiculty at any desired place of the entire plant since only a single pneumatic conveyor line is necessary for the latter. Obviously the arrangement of the present invention eliminates the previously required additional mechanical and/or pneumatic conveyor devices and there is also obtained a considerable saving in labor costs and in energy requirements for the machines.

Furthermore it is possible to mix or blend various types of leaf tobacco in the present stemming plant in that each of the three or more stemming machines is supplied with a different type or quality of tobacco and when all these machines discharge their leafy portions through the upper pipe lines into the discharge device 5 there will take place a very good mixing or blending of the tobacco in the latter, before the tobacco is discharged at 5a.

What I claim is:

1. A stemming plant for tobacco leaves comprising a plurality of stemming machines, each machine including a tobacco feed conveyor for individually feeding stalk tobacco to its corresponding stemming machine, a stemming device, a sorting conveyor, and a vertical separating stack having a stalk discharge opening at its lower end,

a discharge device for receiving the stemmed leafy tobacco portion common to all of said stemming machines, separate pneumatic conveyor pipes connecting the upper end of each of said separating stacks with said common discharge device, a single blower having its inlet connected to said discharge device, and a single dust filter connected to the outlet of said blower.

2. A stemming plant for tobacco leaves comprising a plurality of stemming machines arranged in spaced parallel relation one next to the other, each of said stemming machines including an endless tobacco feed conveyor for individually feeding stalk tobacco to its corresponding stemming machine, a rotary stemming device, an endless sorting conveyor arranged below said stemming device to receive the stemmed stalks and tobacco from the latter, and a vertical separating stack for receiving the stemmed tobacco and stalks from said sorting conveyor, said vertical separating stacks being provided at their lower ends with a stalk discharge opening located in front of said stemming machine, a single discharge device for the stemmed leafy tobacco portion passing upwardly through said stacks, said discharge device being common to all of said stemming machines, separate pneumatic conveyor pipes connecting the upper ends of said vertical separating stacks with said single discharge device, a single blower,

Patented June 3, 1958 ducts connecting said discharge device with the intake of said blower, a single dust collector, and means connecting the outlet of said blower with said dust collector.

3. A stemming plant for tobacco leaves comprising a plurality of stemming machines arranged in parallel spaced relation, one next to the other, each of said stemming machines including an endless tobacco feed conveyor for individually feeding stalk tobacco to its corresponding stemming machine, a rotary stemming device, an endless sorting conveyor arranged below said stemming device to receive stemmed tobacco and stalks from the latter, a vertical separating stack for receiving the stemmed tobacco and stalks from said sorting conveyor, said stacks being provided at their lower ends with a stalk discharge opening and at their upper ends with an adjustable air passage gate to control the reduced pressure in said stack, a single discharge device for the stemmed leafy tobacco portions common to all of said stemming machines, a plurality of pneumatic conveyor pipes individually constacks with said single discharge device, a single blower having its intake connected 'to said discharge device, a pipe having one end connected with said discharge device and its opposite end connected to the blower intake, a single dust collector, and a pipe duct connecting the outlet of said blower with said dust collector, each of said vertical separating stacks being provided with curved wall portions arranged in opposed relation to the dis- 10 charge from said stemming machine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

